In
the novel Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton tells the story of Stephen
Kumalo. Kumalo is a well-rounded character that uses his positive and negative
attributes to go along with the changes coming his way. Kumalo is a very
religious, forgiving, and steadfast man while at the same time he is short
tempered, naïve, and fanatical. Throughout the novel, he begins to seem more
realistic, and it is easier to recognize his positive and negative attributes.
Stephen
Kumalo has many positive attributes that make him seem more realistic in the
novel. He is religious, forgiving, and steadfast. You can see how important God
is in his life by how disappointed he was to see that his family had strayed
from the church. When he found out the truth about the way Gertrude, his
sister, had been living, he still forgave her even though he did not agree with
her lifestyle. His forgiveness even showed the importance of his relationship
with God. He was steadfast, and he held true to his beliefs even though he felt
weak and hopeless. Through this God prevailed, and gave him the strength he
needed. These three things go together to show that Stephen is not going to
budge from his ways under any circumstance. While this can be good in some situations,
it can also be negative in others.
Stephen
Kulmalo, like everyone else, has negative qualities to go along with his
positives. Kulmalo is controling, naïve, and fanatical. In the novel, he is in
search of his family. Along the way it is evident that he is naïve to the fact
that there is crime. Kumalo is so sheltered from all the things that go on
beyond his small town. He becomes so obsessed with finding his family and bringing
his family back together to unite them as one again that he doesn’t see in
reality, it is not his place to do this. Although Kumalo is trying to control
his family’s decisions, he is not an aweful person. He is only doing so for the
good of his family.
Stephen
Kumalo realizes things he didn’t know before as he travels to find his family.
He undergoes changes that bring out his negatives and positives. Kumalo is no
longer oblivious to the crime going on in the world beyond his city in the low
lands. He is no longer sheltered, and he realizes everything else going on in the world. He sees the problems other people are facing. His own life is changing, and things become hard for him as he grows weary. Through the difficult situations he faces, his positive attributes shine through. He comes to God for help and he stands strong in his beliefs. Both of Kumalo's qualities, positive and negative, help him through the changing scenes of his life. They help shape him into the man he is becoming.
All
in all, Stephen Kumalo is a great man. Kumalo’s positive and negative
attributes make him a well-rounded, dynamic character. His negative qualities are
even used to try to restore his family. Throughout his journey to find his
family, Stephen Kumalo becomes a very realistic person to the audience. You see
him go through all sorts of changes along the way, and he even realizes things
about himself he did not know before.
